


The Fabulous Life of Peter Wentz

by megyal



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-09-06
Updated: 2008-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-29 12:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/320087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megyal/pseuds/megyal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by the movie 'Big Fish'.</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Fabulous Life of Peter Wentz

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the movie 'Big Fish'.

_A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal._  
\- Will Bloom, "Big Fish"

 

"Mr. Wentz?"

Tony snapped his head to where the steady image of the company Secretary floated above the black imaging panel on his desk. The Secretary's manifestation this week was that of a young woman with a heart-shaped face and wisps of dark hair. Tony smiled a little. It was a refreshing change from last week, anyway, when the Secretary chose to be a balding man with a lisp.

"Yes?"

"Your sister is on line five. Should I tell her to call back later?"

Tony sighed. "No, put her through." He hadn't spoken to his sister in weeks, but that was mostly because he didn't have much time for Livi's dramatics.

"Please hold," Secretary said in the serene tone that only digital personalities possess and her face faded away to be replaced by Livi's sharp features; she started to speak without so much as a simple _hello_.

"Kingston," she said, knowing Tony disliked his first name, _so much_. "You need to get your ass home, now."

"Why, what's the matter?" Tony asked, getting into a panic and hating that he could do so quite easily. Livi knew _just_ how to get him anxious. "What, is it Maya? Did she call you? Is it about the baby? It's the baby, oh god."

Livi cast him a confused and pitying look. "What? No, I meant... I meant _home_ , home. _Chicago_ home."

Tony went absolutely still and his eyes suddenly felt too dry and too wide. Livi nodded, and he could see just when her mouth trembled. She tightened her lips, visibly gathering that famed tenacity she picked up from Patrick.

"It's Dad, Tony," and the fact she quietly used his preferred name just made it even worse. "Pa... _Patrick_ thinks there's not much time left."

*

I downloaded you from the internet, Pete tells his young son, who wrinkles his nose at this.

Daddy, you can't download people from the internet!

But I did! I totally did. I went to the internet and said, Oh Great Internet! Give me a kid with hair like his mother and maybe some height, 'cause if he gets it all from me, then he's gonna get a bad deal.

Kingston's eyes are huge. Really, Daddy?

Pete laughs. Oh man, for _real_. So they sent me this email, right? Marked HERE IS YOUR PERFECT KID. I opened it and downloaded it, and then there you were.

Kingston wants to be skeptical, but his dad's eyes are too delighted and too sincere. Mommy told me babies are made when a mommy and a daddy have sex.

Pete shrugs. Yeah, he says with another massive grin, that's the _ordinary_ way. But you, Tony-Tone, you're no ordinary kid.

*

Tony tapped his foot on the ground, waiting for the line to move. He turned his head and saw his wife Maya sitting on one of their haphazardly packed luggage, rubbing at her round belly. She saw him watching and smiled wanly.

"We're going to make it in time," she said in a soothing voice and Tony let out an aggravated breath. "It'll be fine."

He went to stand beside her, threading his fingers through her dark curls. She smiled up at him.

"Remember the stories your dad told at our engagement party?" She said and the tired expression faded away from her brown eyes. They sparkled and he stared at her, entranced all over again. "Those were _crazy_."

"They were just stories," Tony said tightly.

Maya gazed up at him and smiled sadly again, but she said nothing.

*

Once I walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Pete tells his son as Tony sits sniffling piteously in bed. Tony's mother was here a few hours ago, but she left again. Tony misses her, but she said she loved him and that's all he can hang onto. His father puts an arm around his shoulders but Tony pulls away, angry. His dad should have loved his mother more. Then she would have stayed.

He wants to tell his father to get out of his room, but Pete continues: Yeah, it was a long, hard walk. I thought it would be the last walk I ever would do, but for some reason, I couldn't step over the edge. It was super-scary, Tony. I felt that I couldn't walk anymore. But I just couldn't step off the edge.

Tony pulls his legs up and wraps his arms around them. He can hear his baby sister in the other room, laughing and chattering. She's too young to know that their parents are not a whole anymore. Olivia is happy with Uncle Patrick. She _adores_ Uncle Patrick.

Tony liked him too, once upon a time, but now he thinks that Uncle Patrick is the reason his mom is gone.

I didn't step off the edge, Pete says softly, because I heard someone singing Hallelujah.

*

"Wentz!" The lady at the ticket-counter said, looking at Tony's passport-card with a tired smile on her face. "Oh, now, that's a name I haven't heard in _years_." She brought up the seating display, flicking her fingers through the touch-responsive image. " _Wentz_ , wow."

Tony kept his mouth shut, but she finally looked very closely at him and her eyes widened. "Wait... don't tell me you're Pete Wentz's _son_?"

More often than not, Tony would say no. No, he just happened to have the last name and a strong resemblance to a man who was once famous (or _quasi-famous_ , as his dad says). No, he wasn't musically-inclined, he worked in a robotics and interface software company, so that proved the non-relation, right?

"Yes," Tony said suddenly, surprising himself and feeling something lurch in his chest. "Yeah, he's my dad."

The lady smiled at him again, and this time it was a wide grin, delighted all the way to her eyes. "Pete Wentz," she said again, and there was something soft and happy in her voice. "Some people loved to hate your dad, you know?" she told him, and confirmed their seating, handing back their passcards. "But I loved what he had to say."

Tony stared at her, blinking and the lady nodded with a bashful grin, motioning to someone to have their baggage loaded on the carousel. "Have a nice flight. And when you see your dad, tell him thanks for the memories." She laughed and he saw the young woman she once was, bright and gleeful. Funny how the memory of his _dad_ did that. "Corny, I know, but I bet he'll love it."

"I know he will," Maya said warmly and Tony was glad he had her, because his throat felt blocked for a moment and he had to swallow a few times as Maya took him by the hand and led him towards the concourse.

*

Where'd we get Olivia? Hmm. No, we didn't download her, not like you. Patrick sang a song and it was her. You don't believe me? Dude, Patrick can _do_ that.

*

Once, I released about a million bats into the night, man. It was crazy and I think Patrick ate one. Total prince of darkness, that Patrick, but you would never tell by just looking, right?

*

Once, I ran through the streets naked. No, seriously.

 

*

"Tony," Patrick said in a neutral voice as he opened the door, looking at Tony with his calm eyes. His gaze flicked to Maya and his expression became warmer. "Hey, Maya. How are you, sweetheart?"

"Hey, Pa," Maya replied with her massive grin, using the name Livi had for Patrick when they were growing up. She stepped past Tony and put her arms around Patrick, hugging him tightly. Patrick closed his eyes and returned the embrace, sadness flowing through his face. Maya drew back and kissed him on the cheek, strangely unlined for a man his age. Livi always claimed that her Pa had vampire blood.

"Your mom's inside," Patrick said to Tony as Maya released him. Tony paused, taking a good look at this short man that had been at his father's side for years, and then stepped forward, putting his arms around him. After a long beat, Patrick's arms went around him as well and held him, surprisingly strong; maybe Livi was right about Patrick.

"Kingston," Ashlee said gravely as she stuck her head out of the living room. Tony released Patrick and went towards her. She was already dressed in black, her eyes behind a large pair of shades. When he was younger, he wished he looked more like her, since everyone who ever saw Tony swore that he looked just like his father; sometimes he didn't want to see that. He hugged her too, and stared over her shoulder inside the living room.

Inside was _stuffed_ with people, milling around and talking. Olivia was near the piano, her tiny frame thrumming with energy as she motioned with her hands as she spoke. People were saying, _remember when_? and Tony wanted to throw things at all of them, because not yet, _not yet_. Sometimes he just couldn't bear being in the same room with his dad, and sometimes he felt his father was just as baffled by _him_ , this child of his that didn’t want to have anything to do at all with music industry like Olivia; this first-born of his who was extremely quiet and withdrawn and... _normal_. But he was still his dad and just... _not yet_.

"Remember when Pete jumped on that security guy at a concert? That guy was like ten feet taller than Pete, remember that?"

"Remember when he was doing that Porn Ninja stuff? Oh man, that was insane."

"Remember--"

Tony turned away, and went into the hallway, where Patrick was still talking to Maya, his fingers touching her stomach almost reverently. He was smiling as he did so, and Tony felt Olivia barrel past him, making excited noises as she fluttered around Maya.

"Ready?" Patrick asked, looking over at Tony, eyes damp behind his glasses. "We're going upstairs."

Tony took Maya's hand, and Olivia took Ashlee's hand, and they followed Patrick up to the floor where his dad's room was, with all its beeping machines, counting down the time.

*

When my father was a young man, he found a seraph. This is what he told me, and for many years I didn't believe him, but he always said so and now I think it's true. He went to a house with a friend, and the seraph was wearing these messed up black socks and a sweater, but anyone could see that he wasn't a normal person at all.

Dad? Are you hearing me?

I hope you are. When he saw the tiny seraph with the reddish hair, he laughed right out loud, because he was so delighted and the seraph might have been offended, but my dad decided he was going to _keep_ this seraph, no matter what anyone said.

The seraph said, "Ok, sure," and as long as my dad needed him around, he was there. He took my father's words and made them into music, and everyone knows only seraphs can do that properly.

And when my dad got married, the seraph made sure they kept happy together, that my dad didn't do stupid stuff and drive my mom crazy, and even when the seraph couldn't make _that_ happen anymore, my mother said that maybe the seraph was better for my dad than her, which was true.

I didn't see that.

But now I do.

*

Pete, his face grey and gaunt, reclined against his pillows as his graying hair spilled around his face. Patrick was holding tightly to one of his hands as Tony sat near on his other side, murmuring in his ear. Olivia was at the foot of the bed, crying softly as Maya stood close, a hand on her shoulder. Ashlee was at the window, staring out to the unfairly beautiful day.

Pete's eyes were closed and he was far too still, but he was smiling.


End file.
